Mercury boiler having horizontal headers



Oct. 18, 1932. J, KERR 1,883,301

MERCURY BOILER HAVING HORIZONTAL HEADERS F xed April 25. 1929 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD J'. KERR, OF W'ESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEXV JERSEY MERCURY BOILER HAVING HORIZONTAL HEADERS Application filed April 23,

This invention relates to a mercury boiler having horizontally disposed headers with closed ended tubes depending therefrom into positions to be contacted by hot gases for generating mercury vapor. The headers are provided on their upper sides with machined spots so that the headers can be drawn upwardly against fixed stops, thereby assuring all headers being level and at the same elevation to avoid the danger of improper depths of mercury being in some of the headers or in some part of a header that might interfere with proper functioning of the circulation or result in excessive cost due to need for excess mercury to secure proper level.

The invention will be understood from the description in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is vertical section through an illustrative embodiment of the invention taken along the line 11 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view taken along the line 33 of Fig. l, partly broken away on an enlarged scale, showing a portion of one of the headers; and Fig. l is a section taken along the line 4.& of Fig. 3.

In the drawing, reference character 1 indicates a furnace that may be fired in any convenient way, as for example by means of fuel burners. A row of horizontally disposed headers 2 is located near the upper end of the furnace. A mercury feed pipe 3 may be provided at the end of each header, the feed pipes being interconnected, so that there will normally be the same level of mercury in all of the headers. Mercury vapor outlet pipes 4 are connected to the upper sides of each header and these pipes may in turn be connected to a drum or main.

Calorized plates 5 or other heat resisting material may be placed along the lower sides of the headers 2 to protect them from the intense heat of the furnace. The tubes 6 connected to the lower sides of the headers 2 extend into the furnace and are contacted by the hot gases in the well known manner. Zigzag bafiles 7 may be interspersed between the tubes 6 to cause the upwardly rising gases 1929. Serial No. 357,441.

to pass across the tubes. The baffles 7 may be supported from the lower ends of spacers 8 which are placed between the headers 2 to permit the gases to pass upwardly into the stack 9. The ends of the headers 2 may be enlarged, as indicated at 10, and extend into the side walls of the furnace 1.

Supporting rods 11 are connected to the upper sides of the headers 2 and have nuts and washers 12 at their upper ends which rest upon cross members 18 supported by the supports 14. The lower ends of the rods 11 terabout the supports 13 while the headers are being brought into their proper horizontal positions and leveled by the stops provided.

A flat machined spot 18 is provided near each end of each header 2 and fixed stops 19, which may be in the form of straight horizontal bars, are so provided that when the nuts 12 are tightened to draw the headers 2 upwardly the machined spots 18 will come into contact with the lower smooth surfaces of the stops 19, thereby making it certain that the headers2 will be maintained level and all at exactly the same height so that the same depth of mercury will be kept in all of them, when the stops have been properly positioned. A header once removed for inspection can be replaced with assurance that it will be properly relocated.

It is understood that the flat machined spots 18 are so located on each header as to be the proper distance above the desired mercury level inside the header.

I claim:

1. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers having smooth spots on the upper sides thereef, fixed stops, and means for holding said headers with said spots in contact with said stops by means of which each header is held level and-at the same height.

2. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers having sn100th spots on the upper sides thereof, horizontally disposed bars, and means for holding said headers with said spots in contact with said bars, by means of which each header is held level and at the same height.

3. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers hav ing smooth spots on the upper sides thereof, fixed stops, and means comprising rods connected to the upper sides of said headers for holding said headers with said spots in contact with said stops, by means of which each header is held level and at the same height.

4. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers having smooth spots on the upper sides thereof, fixed stops, and means comprising rods hav ing enlarged rounded ends connected to the upper sides of said headers for holding said headers with said spots in contact with said stops, by means of which each header is held level and at the same height. I

5. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers having smooth spots on the upper sides thereof, fixed stops, said stops being parallel and at the same height means for holding said headers with said spots in contact with said stops, and a furnace into the side walls of which the ends of said headers extend.

6. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers, sockets attached to the upper parts of said headers, and means comprising suspension rods with rounded ends fitting said sockets and connected thereby to the upper sides of said headers.

7. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers, fixed stops, said stops being substantially parallel and at the same height, smooth spots on said headers and rods to draw said spots into contact with said stops.

8. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers having smooth spots on the upper sides thereof, fixed stops, and means for holding said headers with said spots in contact with said stops, said spots being at such distances above the normal liquid level in said headers that said headers will be at the proper elevations when said spots are brought into contact with said stops.

9. In a mercury boiler, a plurality of horizontally disposed interconnected headers having smooth spots on the upper sides thereof, fixed stops, and means for holding said headers with said spots in contact with said stops, said spots and stops being so located that each one of said headers will be properly located when said spots and stops are brought into contact. 10. In a boiler of the class described, a plurality of horizontally disposed headers, horisame height.

-HOWARD J. KERR. 

